The sacred tree was the root of all things for the Moonlight Elves. They had nurtured it for decades, but now it was being crushed and twisted. The monstrous tree that emerged from the wreckage was certainly not their sacred tree.

"How could this happen...”

White murmured, looking at the faded symbols on his body. There was no point in resisting any longer. All that remained for them in this irrational war was death, and choosing how to die would be a blessing. Using his sword as a crutch, White struggled to his feet.

‘Is this what our ancestors felt when they faced the endless onslaught of destructive bacteria?-’

Despair and resignation in the face of an unstoppable disaster. He pointed his sword at the enemy commander. All the warriors who had fought alongside him were dead. Yet, the numerous monsters surrounding him did not attack, but waited.

"Come on. So you-’re... the queen of these monsters.”

He had made up his mind. He would at least inflict some damage on this creature that seemed to be the leader of these monsters. The enemy was strong, faster and more powerful than any he had faced before. With one arm torn off and a hole in his stomach, it seemed impossible, but he still took a step forward.

"Cough!”

As soon as he spoke, the legionnaires beside him launched their attack. A medium-sized legionnaire, modeled after a giant scorpion, pierced him with its poisonous stinger. Resentment flashed in his eyes as he hung suspended in mid-air, but his life quickly faded away.

‘'How dare anything stand above me.-*

I

The reason for his brutal slaughter, with no respect for his final moments, was incredibly trivial. If he had known, he would have sighed in disbelief.

"That’s too much... At least let him have his last moment...”

Kang Do Yeon half-removed her mask, murmuring in a sorrowful tone. Even with the mask on, memories lingered. They were mundane memories, similar to reading someone else’s diary,

yet she knew they were hers. That-’s why she understood the desperation displayed by White and the Moonlight Elves so well.

‘This is the ecosystem, nature. An ant colony can be more brutal than us, and a pack of wild dogs can be more aggressive.’

The legion didn’t even consider this. They fought to live; the loser died, the winner grew. This was not only the nature of the legion but also the law that all creatures in this

world adhered to. Aware of her hypocrisy, Kang Do Yeon remained silent.

‘’Finish it.’

The legion-’s final command echoed. Kang Do Yeon, her mask back in place, led the legionnaires into the city they had already conquered. All she saw were corpses, nothing but corpses. To the legion, these bodies were merely a source of nourishment. There was no need for cleanup. This space would become the legion’s nest, and the bodies of the elves and the legionnaires would be left to decompose naturally.

[Some of the legionnaires who were scattered and searching the city discovered a passage leading elsewhere.]

"Was this some kind of mine?”

In the midst of this, the legion discovered a passage leading from the city to another place. Kang Do Yeon identified the nature of the place from the shared information. Mining

tools were scattered here and there, and sparkling ores were buried in the bedrock. It was obviously a mine.

[The moment they discovered how they, unable to manipulate the power of the sacred tree like the legion, had obtained the divine stone, was a revelation.]

‘The yield is significant. The energy within a few dense divine stones surpasses that of several hundred kilograms of organic matter.’

A legionnaire ripped apart an ore with bare hands. Utilizing the legion-’s sensory organs within this mine, they were able to locate more ores that emitted a faint presence. Kang Do Yeon found additional hives at the end of this mine, which the legion had drilled through from the lower floors and connected. The area blocked by the spell they discovered was right here.‘’There-’s something else to deal with before this place.-*

The end was confirmed, and there was nothing more to see. The legion shifted its gaze. Anticipating their next move, Kang Do Yeon tightly closed her eyes and donned her mask once more.

"Kill... Kill! Kill! !”

The last surviving Great Chieftain, who clung to a shred of pride, screamed as she was hauled away.

"Evil bugs of hell... monstrous creatures of the abyss!”

Her cries reverberated throughout the city. Having witnessed the sacred tree explode before her eyes and her comrades torn apart, she was already on the brink of madness. She had bitten her tongue long ago, but the legion had forcibly kept her alive with the infection bacteria they had previously injected.

‘'Quiet her down.-*

The legion, disturbed by her screams, commanded the infection bacteria that had invaded her body.

"Ah.. !”

Her entire body was covered in black veins in an instant, her eyes bulging and trembling. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

‘'Now you can hear me. Your brain, your lungs, your heart...they’re all in my hands.’

"Ah...ah...”

‘Tell me everything you know.-’

The horrific pain of having her entire nervous system manipulated and intensely stimulated was beyond the worst burning pain she had ever experienced. Overwhelmed by unimaginable agony, she began to blurt out every fact and falsehood she knew, casting aside her pride and hatred in the hope of relief.

"So, the people on the surface...”

"Human...”

‘Human?*

Through this process, the legion learned who had dispatched the golems of the stem layer. *

"Isn*t it a bit fascinating? lust over a decade ago when I was in college, aliens were just figments of our imagination and creations of fiction. Of course, we never expected those aliens to be the monsters that came out of the gate.”

"That was... the case for all of us.”

"But as you know, the universe is much broader and more complex than that.”

Ji Chang Hyun chuckled.

This was a sort of...dojo, created in a dark corner of the first garrison where the main force of the Alliance, heavily damaged in the recent Alpha base battle, had temporarily retreated. It was just the two of us there.

"There are many more impressive aliens than those monsters. They might even be more advanced than us. But I believe in us, in humans.”

"Humans? I’m sorry, but the one who hurt my sister was also a human.”

"...That-’s true.”

Seeing my displeased expression, he nodded in agreement."But Kang Shin Woo, you have to admit this. There are many good people too. I*m not asking you to trust all of humanity. I*m asking you to trust those who are working for a universal cause.”

"Like your mentor.”

"Everything I know was taught by him. He said we can do it.”

He seemed very proud of his current self.

After becoming a unit, he said he had received teachings, opened his eyes, and become stronger.

Honestly, it was hard to believe, the notion that a player’s objective wasn’t merely survival and growth. Yet, Ji Chang Hyun, his colleagues, and the other players were already moving in that direction. I couldn’t discern the ‘race’ they all identified with. Could it truly reflect their inherent nature?

"It’s time to demonstrate the potential of humans.”

His eyes shimmered with confidence. The mention of human potential piqued my interest. In the corner of my vision, a screen displayed the legion interrogating prisoners after their victory, eventually discovering that humans inhabited the surface. I wondered about the legion’s perception of humans. After all, humans were essentially my kin. Would they recognize that?

[The legion had found new prey. Prey that could help them grow even more, prey that appeared truly massive and valuable.]

Silence.

It didn’t seem like it. They knew I was watching, so they refrained from assuming a physical form. However, I had a hunch about the decision the legion would make.

I, lacking a hive consciousness, didn’t believe all humans were identical simply because they belonged to the same race.

...It seemed I needed a new plan.

Perhaps I should offer more gifts.

Or provide something even better than gifts.

"Director Ji. The commander of the Alliance is now...”

"Oh, I’ll be right back.”

At that moment, Ji Chang Hyun left me alone and stepped outside.

It was an unfamiliar sight. Of course, as an S-rank hunter and a member of the elite, it wasn’t unusual for him to meet high-ranking officials.

But now he was acting as the representative of an organization, not as an S-rank hunter.

An app, designed to aid the powerless individuals who were sacrificed in the disputes between players and units.

And a global organization established to empower them.

In fact, Ji Chang Hyun’s player, whose identity remained unknown, had instructed his units to pass on his teachings to talented ordinary people.

The reality was unbelievable, yet the organization functioned well. No, they were even hailed as heroes.

Whether their actions stemmed from pure goodwill or were sophisticated political maneuvers, my cynicism had grown over the past few months.

"He must have been certain that I knew about the app because of my relationship with Cha Ji Yeon. But why didn’t he spread rumors about the app, even though he disliked it?”

[It’s logical. You would be the one bothered if the existence of the app was revealed. There’s no reason to spread rumors about the game, regardless of your opinion. Even if you did, what would you gain? Their anger? Criticism?]

"Right.”

I fell silent, having nothing more to add.

After all, there was no point in worrying about others from my position. The first thing I needed to do was to acquire the techniques that Ji Chang Hyun promised to teach me and become stronger.